Brawling on stage may be a great way to hype-up a fight, but it turns out the privilege doesn’t come cheap.

Jon Jones and Daniel Cormier were both handed hefty fines this week for their roles in the August 4 on-stage brawl that grabbed headlines across North America.

The two light-heavyweights came to blows at a Las Vegas media event meant to promote their title fight, which has been postponed until January. Both appeared before the Nevada Athletic Commission on Tuesday to apologize for the incident and explain their actions.

They were fined 10% of their earnings each for the fight, meaning Jones will have to pony-up $50,000 and Cormier will have to pay $9,000. Jones will also be required to complete 40 hours of community service while Cormier will have to complete 20 hours.

“I do believe that there is a disparity in culpability in this particular circumstance,” said Pat Lundvall, the NAC’s commissioner.

“It feels different from Mr. Cormier’s perspective, and I acknowledge the argument that his counsel made in that regard. I don’t think that he is at the same level as Mr. Jones, but I don’t think he is completely without fault.”

Watching video of the incident, it’s clear Jones was the aggressor.

The light-heavyweight champion got in Cormier’s face as soon as he was introduced on stage, and continued taking shots at Cormier even after security had knocked him to the ground.

Apparently, it’s been a pretty expensive series of mistakes for Jones. In addition to the fines levied by the athletic commission, Jones said in his testimony that he also lost his Nike sponsorship after the fight, as well as another “six-figure” endorsement.

“Moments like this are embarrassing,” Jones said. “It’s embarrassing for me and I realize it’s going to come with consequences.”

One of the biggest issues for the commission was Cormier’s assertion that the fight would be “good for his paycheque” in an interview with UFC Tonight. The incident drew attention from well-beyond the UFC’s usual media reach and the commission wanted to make sure that fighters didn’t begin to regularly brawl on stage to drum-up interest in their in-ring fights.

CRUZ COMEBACK

The card for UFC 178 feels like something of a throwback to the days before there was a fight-card almost every weekend.

While Demetrious Johnson’s headlining tilt with Chris Cariaso may not be a must-see for most casual MMA fans, the rest of the card is stacked.

So stacked, in fact, that the long-awaited return of one of the top pound-for-pound fighters in the world has been relegated to the preliminary cards.

But, make no mistake, Dominick Cruz’s fight against Takeya Mizugaki will probably be the last time he’s not among the headliners.

Cruz’s last bout featured him defending his bantamweight title shot with a win over Johnson. Then, a series of injuries and reconstructive surgeries kept him out of the octagon.

“I’m still the best bantamweight in the world in my mind,” Cruz told Fox Sports. “If I had any doubt that I was the best in the world then I shouldn’t be competing. If you don’t think you’re going to be the best, what’s the point?”

There’s really no telling how Cruz will adapt to being back in the octagon. The bantamweight division has seen two new champions in the time since he last fought, and in the ever-evolving MMA game it’s possible that the upper-reaches of the sport will have passed him by.